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Brief Overview of the Curriculum

Environmental studies is the study of relationships between human society and its biophysical environments. Our program is a course of study for people who care about environmental issues and want to contribute to the resolution of environmental problems as professionals, activists and citizens.

Environmental Studies at UW Oshkosh

The program consists of an interdisciplinary curriculum based in the liberal arts that incorporates the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities. As such, it is the only major of its kind in the University of Wisconsin System. Students earn credits from many departments at UW Oshkosh in addition to taking core ES courses that provide a solid background in key environmental issues and the various analytic tools required to address them.

The program offers opportunities for interactive classroom learning as well as for field study, internships and student-organized events and projects. As a young but growing program, ES at UW Oshkosh provides an intimate learning environment that both students and faculty find intellectually rigorous and personally enriching.

The major and the minor are available to students from all colleges at UW Oshkosh. They are certified for licensure by the Department of Public Instruction for College of Education students preparing to teach elementary, middle or high school and specializing in the natural sciences.

Program Objectives

To provide quality instruction for students seeking careers or advancement in environmentally-related occupations in the public sector, private sector, or who seek to continue academic work in environmental studies or related disciplines.

To provide a broad-based, interdisciplinary understanding of environmental problems, drawn from the natural sciences, the social sciences, and the humanities. The broad training provided by an interdisciplinary program can impart the communication skills needed to work collaboratively toward practical solutions with diverse stakeholders.

To provide opportunities for students to develop practical problem-oriented expertise through involvement in internship and senior seminar experiences.

To promote environmental literacy and responsible citizenship among our students. To this end, we aim to ensure that all of our students are equipped to think critically and act responsibly in response to contemporary environmental problems, and are prepared with the skills necessary for crafting solutions and understanding the obstacles to environmental problems.